1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical appliance plugs and, more particularly, to ultra safe rotatable electrical plug removal mechanisms for disconnecting electrical appliances from electrical wall outlets. As herein disclosed, a outlet refers to an element which generally comprises the "female" portion of a connector. A plug refers to an element which generally comprises the "male" portion of a connector. An outlet includes permanently powered contacts which are fixed to a wall, and the plug includes axially extending prongs which are, electrically connected to an appliance and inserted into the outlet to power the appliance.
The sides of most electrical plugs do not offer much surface for a user to grip, therefore a great deal of finger strength is required to hold the electrical plug in order to remove it from it's associated outlet. Moreover, as the plug is withdrawn there is a tendency to increase one's grip on the plug body by inserting the, fingers into the widening gap between the plug and the outlet. Since the electrical prongs in the plug are still powered, until the plug is fully withdrawn, contact with the exposed prongs can result in dangerous shocks. Furthermore, to avoid such hazards, the person, using the electrical appliance, will give the electrical cord a sharp pull to accomplish the disconnection which frequently breaks or weakens the connection between the plug and the cord.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been recognized that electrical appliance plug removal aids are useful when the fit between the plug and the outlet is relatively tight. Example aids to facilitate plug removal are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,161,353, 2,551,382 and 5,171,291.
The device of my invention is intended to obtain the same ultimate result as the devices shown in the patents, but has a structural arrangement significantly different from the arrangements of the noted patents and from this obtains several advantages. These advantages will be described in connection with the description of the device on this invention.